Adjustable table.



H. J. HUDDLE.

ADJUSTABLE TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 13, I915.

1 ,1 91 ,425. Patented July 18, 1916.

I INVENTOR H J: Huddle A TTOR/VEKS sans HERSCHEL J. HUDDLE, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW J ERSEY,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY KOCH, OF SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY.

ADJUSTABLE TABLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rammed July 18, 1916.

Application filed August 13, 1915. Serial No. 45,345. v 1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HnRsoHnL J. HUDDLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jersey City, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Tables, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates more particularly to a portable table designed to be used by stenographers, sketchers, invoicers', army officers, artists, photographers, etc., and to support various articles used by travelers, as books while reading, and for such other purposes as a device of this kind may be employed. 7 I

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide an adjustable support for the table which may be detachably held to the body in a position convenient for the use of the table leaf, and to construct the support and the leaf so that the said support may be adjusted to accommodate the front contour of any persons body, and at the same time permit the table to be raised or lowered to various inclinations for the convenience of the user.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a support in which a table leaf may be swung horizontally to different angles either to the right, directly in front, or to the left, and which may be set for the use of either left-hand or right-hand persons; to provide a table which may be readily supported to the body or detachable therefrom and in such a way as not to interfere with the movements of the body; and to provide a table and support which is light and which may be easily manipulated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a table which may be knocked down and which is so constructed that the parts may be readily assembled or detached in order that the-same may be placed in a small compass as in grips, hand bags, valises, etc for traveling, or to permit the same to be readily shipped.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which is inexpensive to manufacture and which is simple in construction. r

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and will then be pointed tout in the claims at the end of the descriplOIl.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view' of one form of device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, of the main, support,

showing the means for holding the table leaf in position. Fig. 3 is aplan view of one form of table leaf that maybe used. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, of the joint for holding parts of the main support in an adjustable position. F1g. 5 is a transverse section of thetable leaf, taken on the line VV of Fig. 3; and Figs. 6 and 7 show a different form of means for holding the table leaf to its support. 7 h

The support 10 comprises two parts or members 11 and 12. These members ll'and 12 are pivotally held or hinged together at 13 intermediate their ends to adapt the support to be adjusted by swinging the members on their pivots and thereby making the same conform to the front contour of. the body of the person, or to adapt the lower member 12 to be adjusted vertically either upward or downward. This hinge or pivot 13 may be of the usual or of any preferred construction. As shown the hinge comprises the parts or arms 14 held to the member 11 and the parts 15 held to the member 12. A sleeve 16 is interposed between the members 15 and passing through the members and the sleeve is a bolt 17 on the outer end of which is a thumb nut 18. The nut when turned in a tightening direction will force the parts 141' and 15 together into frictional engagement to rigidly hold the parts 11 and 12 in any of their adjusted positions. The

cured to the support and each comprises a plate portion 21 which is rigidly held transversely of the members, and each plate portion has a bent over portion or part 22 at.

member 11 is providedwith a rest 19 at the v each end which is adapted to rest against the body of the user. The position of the rest 19 and the part of the body against which it rests depends much. upon the size and shape of the person wearing it. In

some cases, the rest 19 engages the body against the chest of the wearer and the rest 20 against the lower part of the body.

The support 10 may be held to the body of the user by means of straps or by any other suitable means, though I find it con venient in use to employ two arms 23 and 24. These arms have parts 24 which extend transversely of the member 11 and are detachably held in a spring or other socket 25 of a clip or bracket 26. Each arm has an outwardly and upwardly extending curved or hook-shaped portion 27, the outer end of which may be provided with a yielding surface or bent upon itself, as at 28, and said portion being adapted to engage about the shoulder blades of the person and in such position that it will not interfere with the natural movements of the arms. By this means, the support may be conveniently arranged and held to a person and the member 12 of said support adjusted to different inclinations and heights according to the use to' which the invention is put.

A table leaf or member 29 of any desired shape is held to the support 10 in any con venient manner. As one means, the table leaf or member 29 may have a frictional covering as 30 at either or both of its corners at one end thereof, and through this frictional surface may be an eyelet or bearing 31 forming an opening, said eyelet or bearing 31 being used particularly when the table leaf or member is made of wood in order that suflicient strength may be had to properly support the table leaf. The table leaf at its corner is adapted to be held in frictional engagement between the projecting parts 32 and 33 of the supporting member 12, which parts are spaced apart to provide a slot 34 wlnch is adapted to receive the end of the table leaf in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The parts 32 and 33 may be formed integral with the member 12, and like the support, may be of wood or any suitable material or maybe in the form of an angle iron or plates between which the table leaf is adapted to be held. A pin 35 passes through the part 32 and through the eye or opening 31 by which the table may be held to swing at any angle in a horizontal direction or to be placed directly in front, though instead of the p1n passing through the eye 31, any preferred means may be employed which is adapted to positively engage the body of the table to hold the same in its adjusted posi tion, it beingevident that the vertical adustment of the table may be obtained by increasing the angular arrangement of the members 11 and 12 of the support.

The several parts of the invention may be made of any suitable material and the table leaf 29 is adapted to hold or support various objects according to its use. For the use of stenographers, artists or the like, I provide a clamp or device 36.. This device 36 is in the form of a plate and is pivoted at 37 to the outer end of the table leaf 29 and may be of spring or other metal. The outer ends 37 may be separated somewhat from the body of the table leaf and are provided with openings 38 through which a wire or other engaging element 39 may pass and be held to said plate 36. The wire 39 is adapted to be slipped through between the covers of a book, as 40, in such a way that each page may be written upon and after the entire book on one side of the page has been written upon, the said book may be turned end-forend which will permit the opposite side of the leaves to be written upon as is usually done by stenographers, thus utilizing the entire book.

In some cases, and particularly where a person is very stout, the construction shown in Fig l might not answer in every case, at least so far as securing the proper inclination and angle of the table leaf 29. To se cure various inclinations either horizontally or vertically according to the position of the support 10, I may provide means substantially as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In this case the member 12 is provided with a bracket 41 to which is pivotally held a substantially U- shaped table leaf supporting element 42. This element or member 42 provides two jaws 43 between which the end of the table may be held as already described, either by a pin passing through eyelets or openings in the table leaf corner or corners, or by means of a set screw for rigidly holding the same, and in either case the table may be held in any desired positionhorizontally of the support. The element 42 is supported between lugs 44 on the bracket 41 and passing the element 42 in any desired vertical adjustment, though instead of the bolt and thumb screw, other means may be used for this purpose.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that a simple and eflicient device is provided which as a whole is portable and adjustable and may be quickly removed and quickly attached to the body with the table surface suitable for various purposes and adapted to retain any object for which the table may be used, and further to carry the necessary accessories as ink-wells,etc., or have other conveniences; that said device is so constructed that the whole .may be removed from the body of the person or the table leaf only may be removed if so desired; and that'the table with its parts may be readily knocked down and placed in a small compass for con venient transportation.

Having thus described my invention, 1

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 2- v 1. A device of the character described, comprising a two-part support having the parts hingedly connected, a plate-like rest extending transversely of and secured to the lower section of the support and having bent over ends adapted to rest against the body of a person, adjustable and detachable hookshaped arms held to the support and adapt ed to be adjusted to fit over the shoulders of the person, and a table leaf adjustably held to one part of the support.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a two-part support having the parts hingedly connected, means for holding the parts of the support in various positions, a plate-like rest extending transversely of each part of the support and secured to HERSCHEL J. HUDDLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

